Jeff Zucker Steps Down as CNN President, Cites Relationship With Colleague
02.02.2022 - 22:37
/ etonline.com
in a memo reported by the network's chief media correspondent, Brian Stelter. «I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn't.
I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today.»Jeff Zucker just announced his resignation to a stunned CNN. pic.twitter.com/sWXYNBO20dZucker did not name the close colleague, but ET has learned that Zucker and Allison Gollust, the network's chief marketing officer, have been in relationship for at least two years.
At this moment, it's unclear if Zucker, who split from his wife, Caryn, in 2018, was asked to resign or if he volunteered to step down.«People are sad; they think it's a blow for the network,» a source tells ET. «He was a calm and steady voice. He was accessible to talent.
People just liked him.»CNN veteran Don Lemon, host of, echoed in a statement what many staffers have said, adding Zucker was «the best boss» he ever had.«I'm devastated. I have nothing but respect and admiration for Jeff,» Lemon said. «He's the best boss I've ever had and gave me every opportunity to shine when I felt marginalized at the network.
Before he came I was ready to leave CNN. At our first meeting I said, 'I'm ready to leave the company,' he said, 'don't leave. [M]ove to New York, and the rest is history.'»«He was always accessible to talent, he listened to and believed in me,» Lemon continued.
«But most of all he supported us 100 percent. He made CNN relevant again.»Zucker and Gollust's relationship was no secret. The veteran news anchor Katie Couric alluded to Zucker and Gollust's romance in her recently published tell-all book,.